Silence

Silence

Do
you ever get that feeling that you’re never truly alone? Background noise of
movement in a building, cars outside, noise. You are always aware that other
people exist. Even in the dead of night, the sounds of living are still
apparent. We grow accustomed to it, blank it out as unimportant. But as soon as
that noise is gone, you become more aware of your surrounding than you have
ever done in the past. I’m writing this in the hopes that there is someone out
there who will find this, and seek answers to the horror that has befallen this
world.

If
I recall, it all started one average Saturday evening. As usual, I was sat on
my laptop browsing the internet for interesting things to do or watch. A
typical night alone. And that’s what it was, a night alone. The only other
sounds in the house apart from me were the quiet murmurs of the TV in the
living room and the laughter from my parents. Cars drove by outside and people
walked past my house chattering to each other or on their phones. Everything
was…normal. God, how different it all is now…

As
I was saying, nothing was out of the ordinary. But as I found a particular
interesting looking video to watch, my computer’s screen went off. Great, the
battery had died. It was only then that I had realised that my room seemed a
whole lot darker than I remembered.

Have
you ever been sat looking at a computer screen for so long that you get used to
the light? That your vision is completely unaware of anything beyond the bright
monitor to which you are glued to? That is exactly what happened to me. Only,
once the screen had gone off, I realised how dark it had become. The strange
thing was, it was the middle of summer and so didn’t get dark until much later.
So what was going on? Putting my laptop onto my carpeted floor, I grasped
around for the wire so I could charge it up. But even as my hand closed around
the long thin cord and plugged it in; my laptop remained dead. Strange occurrence
number two. Now I was getting really confused. I got up and went over to my
door. Knowing my own bedroom meant I could navigate it rather well in poor
light. I flicked the light switch and frowned. Nothing happened. Click… I tried
again, still nothing. Had the power gone out?

It
was only then that I heard how silent it was. I couldn’t hear a thing. No cars,
no TV, no sounds of life. Dead silence. Turning away from my door I retreated
back into my room and to the window at the other end. My blinds were closed as
always and outside was almost black. It seemed that even the street lights were
no longer working. Very carefully I parted my blinds just enough to see
outside. But I couldn’t see anything at all. ~Nothing but my own reflection in
the glass. Even as I cupped my hands over my eyes and pressed my face up
against the glass, still no other shapes but my own face came into focus. The
dead silence was still evident and it struck me that something was seriously
wrong. This wasn’t just a power cut. You would still hear people, hear cars,
life would still carry on. But it sounded like everything had just stopped. In
the instant the power went out, everything in this area ceased to exist.

I
was panicking now. I needed to find another person, another animal even. I
needed noise.

Practically
ripping my door open, I tore downstairs and burst into the living room.
Nothing. It was empty all apart from the obvious furnishings. The curtains were
drawn, the TV sat silent and there was no sign of my parents…My parents were
gone.

I
raced into my kitchen, banging into the glass cabinet where all the fancy
glasses and plates were kept. The kitchen was equally as dark and devoid of life
as the rest of the house. I wanted to shout, to scream and cry. To make as much
noise as I could in the hopes that it would draw the attention of someone. But
as I filled my lungs to shout for help; I held my breath. Some primeval instinct
within me told me to stay quiet. Something wasn’t right in this world anymore
and I knew I wasn’t dreaming. The last thing I wanted to do was attract the
attention of some unwanted monster or person. It was that instinct, that fear
that kept me from leaving my house.

I
sat there for the rest of the day, or night; I wasn’t sure of the time anymore
and every non-digital clock had stopped working. The silence never faded, it
was always there. But it had become a comfort as the hours ticked on. I wasn’t
sure when I fell asleep but I remember waking up on my sofa. A low rumbling had
awoken me. Noise! Things suddenly didn’t seem so bad anymore. In my excited
state I blindly threw open my front door to great whatever was producing that
sound. But I was greeted by nothing. Just empty streets. The rumbling continued
to I dared to venture out past my door and up my driveway. My father’s car was
still parked there, unused.

I
looked up and down the street but in this darkness I couldn’t see very far. The
street lights still weren’t working and none of the houses appeared to have any
lights on either. There wasn’t even a slight breeze to rustle the leaves on the
trees. The air was still.

But
that was when I saw it, or didn’t see it in this case. I’ve come to call this
entity Darkness Mother. But then, all I could see was a large pair of amber
eyes in the distance, and advancing quickly. I panicked and ran, not for my
house, but in the opposite direction. I didn’t know what that thing was and I
didn’t want to find out. It had been the source of the rumbling.

And
I’ve been running ever since that day. Not once have I encountered another
human being nor any animal other than the grotesque creatures that now rule our
homes. I’ve seen a few. Dark, skinny creatures. Their skin didn’t seem to have
form though, as if it was made out of some dark gooey liquid held together by
some unknown force. Some were large, some were small but they all had the same
structure. They walked on two legs, hunched over with their long arms folded
up; much like a praying mantis. Long needle like fingers hung down from bony
hands. Their head shared a similar facial structure to a wolf but its jaw must
have been twice as long, and was adorned with long, curved, yellowing teeth.
They all lacked eyes, having no other facial features other than that jaw. They
could hear though, and their hearing must have been their only sense. I never
saw one with any ears so I came to the conclusion they must just have holes and
their dark bodies hid that from view. Now I knew why I felt the need to remain
quiet the day it all started. They hunt with sound, in a world with no sound.
Any slight movement and they would pick it up.

Those
eyes I saw, which is the Darkness Mother; seemed to be the origin to all these
creatures. I never saw its form, if it had any, I only ever saw those eyes in
pure darkness and then those monsters would emerge.

Was
this what ceased all life? Or are there still people out there other than me? I
keep travelling with the hope that I will find someone trying to survive;
looking for answers as I am.

I
will leave this note here in the hopes that someone comes by this house seeking
shelter. I cannot stay here any longer. I can hear the rumbling getting closer,
the Darkness mother is on her way. I just hope I can get out before her
children find me.

Please,
look for me.

And for god’s sake.

Be silent.

Write a Review
Did you enjoy my story? Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks,
TheGalacattopian

Catherine Edward ~ On Hiatus:
I enjoyed reading this story very much. Thanks for sharing it here. It was well written with good descriptions.Rachel travels to the Black Forest Island for an archeological dig and soon finds her team mates missing. When all the puzzle pieces fall into place it was something they weren't prepare...

dimitriwarlamow:
I really liked the chapters about the military training and the murders. My girlfriend got me to read the book and I'm glad she did. The characters were all believable. I'll definitely tell my friends that it isn't just a book for the ladies.. Those murder scenes were very clever and the whole st...

Ginger:
I like the idea behind this; the idea and story itself are great, However, I'm finding typos periodically and some of the sentences could be worded a bit more clearly. You might want to 'show' a little more than you 'tell,'

AudreyInAshes:
I think this book is a really great modern-age thriller. The idea of the drug and its symptoms were explained generously, and while I did really enjoy this I just want to add that there is some mild gore and the killing of a pet (sorry to spoil, but I like to be prepared.) It is very interesting,...

SeanSavage:
Good plot that moves fairly quickly. Time passage somewhat vague. but not indecipherable. Very good syntax, grammar and punctuation. The story flowed very well, however, the breaks between chapters and the time jumps tended to be slightly confusing at first. I could see where the author was going...

Jodee3596:
I really did like this story. Lacey Amanda Jones is very well written. It's a story about a girl who didn't like who she was but wasn't really sure how to change that and still get what she wants. Then there's Finn. What or who is he? Her gay BFF, some stalker guy who takes pictures of her or the...

mcase:
I thoroughly enjoyed every particle of this interesting story!! I really enjoyed the development of the main characters and loved them despite their flaws. The plot was interesting and kept me reading, wanting to find out what would happen next. Great work!There were a few consistent mechanical e...

Warren Bull:
I thought this was a fast=paced thriller with elements of several other genres woven seamlessly in. It hooked me early and held my attention throughout. I liked the humor and surprises along the way. I really enjoyed the novel. I am not a big fan of romances or paranormal works,but when those ele...

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